What a WHOPPER of a line up for this month's ATF Insiders giveaways to start the New Year off with a bang! ATF Insiders is our premium service which offers added extras for our readers, allowing us to operate ad-free and ensure everything recommended here has been paid for by us.
Everyone signed up to ATF Insiders by midnight on Friday 17th January will be entered into the draw, and winners will be picked and notified on Saturday 18th January. Here's what we've got for you this month...
1) An overnight Ballymaloe dining experience at the 5-star Castlemartyr Resort worth €380
We're sending one of you off for a one-of-a-kind dining experience at the luxurious 5-star Castlemartyr Resort in Cork! On Thursday 6th February, Ballymaloe House Hotel’s Executive Head Chef, Dervilla O’Flynn, will cook an exclusive dinner in the Canopy Restaurant, with a menu showcasing the simplicity and richness of Irish cuisine. There'll be farm-to-table seasonal cooking, as well as Ballymaloe House Hotel classics, and you'll be staying overnight in 5-star surroundings with breakfast the next morning. See full details of the amazing value overnight package here.
2) Denim overall from Abito worth €240
We featured Abito's Long Apron in our ATF Christmas Gift Guide, and it elicited all the love heart eye emojis from our readers, so we're pleased as punch to have one of their denim overalls worth €240 to give away this month. In a world of Sheins and Temus, this is a garment made to last generations - look after it and you'll be passing it onto your grandkids - how cool would that be? Its uses range from workwear, to gardening, to studio work, or just as the most stylish utility jacket on the market. Follow Abito on Instagram here, and shop the stunning range here.
3) Dinner for two with wine at Jean-Georges @ The Leinster
Jean-Georges at The Leinster has two new dining concepts coming to Dublin in January, parachuted straight in from NYC. First up a menu from abcV, his plant-forward restaurant that was named 14th best restaurant in the city 2024 by New York Times critic Pete Wells. An abcV inspired menu runs from Wednesday 9th - Tuesday 28th January at lunch and dinner time. THEN from Wednesday 29th, a special Chinese New Year menus lands straight from The House of the Red Pearl - another of his NYC restaurants famous for a modern take on Chinese cuisine. To celebrate we've got a three-course meal for two with wine to give away this month, which can be used for either of the special menus, or for the regular à la carte.
4) €100 voucher for Berlin-style kebabs at Chiya
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We've been spreading the good gospel about Chiya's Berlin-style kebabs, that you all need to try STAT, and we're going to make that easier for one of you this month with a €100 to try the whole menu at your leisure. Marinated mixed chicken and beef for the win, and the courgette fritters are another must-try. Read our two minute review of Chiya here.
5) A fermentation class at Fairmental
New Year, new food habits? We're sending one of you off to Fairmental to learn about the fascinating world of fermentation. They provide everything you need in their Saturday classes to make your own jar of ferments to take home, while learning the skills and techniques to increase the health benefits of your food, and how to use ferments in every meal. You'll also get to try lots of different ferments, as well as snacks and drinks. Check our Fairmental's fermentation class dates here, and follow them on Instagram here for updates.
6) Two limited edition pizza kits from The Dough Bros & Lucky Saint
Alcohol free beer Lucky Saint has joined forces with The Dough Bros for a juicy January collab, with none of the hangover. Their limited edition pizza kits (€49.99) include everything you need to make four pizzas, with toppings including Gubbeen chorizo, nduja sausage, and Lucky Saint beer-braised onions, along with their signature pizza sauce, basil, mozzarella, parmesan, and a beer ranch dip. You'll find two cans of Lucky Saint lager in there too - voted Trustpilot’s #1 alcohol-free beer - and it's sugar-free, at under 59 calories per can. The limited edition pizza kits are available to order until Tuesday 21st January for delivery on Friday 24th. We're sending two to this month's lucky winner - get one here before they're gone.Â
7) A Sunday roast for four at Searson, Baggot Street
What we need in temperatures like these is to hunker down on a Sunday with a very large roast, some very nice wine, and all the papers (ideally in physical form, remember those?) Searson's on Baggot Street is set up for Sundays like these, and we're sending one of you plus three pals in for a Sunday Roast for four with wine, live jazz, and a choice of Hereford beef, rotisserie free-range chicken, or a nut roast. Does the day of rest get better than that? Check out Searson's here.
8) Tickets to an oriental-inspired cocktail class at Asia Market
Asia Market always marks the Lunar New Year in style, and this year Dublin's go-to Asian grocery store has a series of experiences to celebrate the ‘Year of the Snake’. As part of the festivities, they've teamed up with Drumshanbo Gunpowder Irish Gin - a brand whose journey began in China - for a cocktail making experience on Thursday 30th January, and we've got two tickets to give away. The ‘Snake In The Glass’ class takes place in J.T. Pim’s, where you'll learn how to make two different Asian-influenced drinks with gin and whiskey, and after making, shaking and enjoying your creations, you'll be treated to sweet and savoury canapés. You'll then hand-pick your own botanicals, with your favourite flavours infused in a teapot and added to your gin for a personalised cocktail. Get tickets here.
9) €100 voucher for The Cow Pub and Kitchen, Ballsbridge
What was The Chophouse in Ballsbridge has been taken over by new management and reopened as The Cow Pub and Kitchen. They're keen to keep things business as usual, with staff, chefs and suppliers remaining the same, and all The Chophouse favourites like seared King prawns, dry-aged rib-eye and slow-cooked lamb shank staying put. They're also planning renovations and upgrades for early 2025 to make the drinking and dining experience even better. Check out The Cow here.
Everyone signed up to ATF Insiders for January (new and old) will be automatically entered into the prize draw - you don't need to do anything. If you're not signed up yet join here before midnight on Friday 17th January. You'll be supporting independent reviews and news in Dublin and beyond, and be able to get answers to all of your burning questions about eating out, here and abroad, directly from us.
